GENEVA: The United Stated and Russia have reached consensus over Syria’s chemical weapons deal, the US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Saturday, adding that Syria must submit a comprehensive list of its chemical weapons sites within a week.
In a joint press conference with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the Swiss city of Geneva on Saturday following the third and final day of talks on the establishment of international control over Syria’s chemical weapons, Kerry outlined a six-point framework under which Syria must hand over a full list of its stockpile within a week.
Kerry said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government should provide the UN with full access to Syria chemical sites and the plan to remove the chemical arsenal should be transparent.
The US Secretary of State said that if Syria failed to comply, then a UN resolution would be sought under Chapter VII of the UN charter, which allows for the use of force.
Kerry said inspectors would be on the ground by November, and that the stockpiles should be removed or destroyed by mid-2014.
Meanwhile, Lavrov said the reached agreement does not suppose any potential use of force against Syria.
